Written and arranged by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel,
Orange Tulip Conspiracy is an audio thrill ride into an expanding universe of
drama, action, beauty and horror. Entirely instrumental, cinematic in scope,
and backed by a monster cast of players (including Seattle's Bill Horist and
Dave Abramson, Secret Chief 3's Trey Spruance, and the members of
Estradasphere) Schimmel has composed and arranged 12 unique and
highly-stylized tracks featuring countless areas of exploration with an
array of sharp solos and clever tempo changes. It swings, it sways, it
grooves and it rocks-these guys can play anything with frighteningly epic
precision: eccentric lounge, Italian Giallo, futuristic metal, café' Romany,
near eastern jazz. These are merely vague points of reference as descriptions
like these don't do the music justice. These tracks are lean and tasty
without a spec of fat on the plate blending classic retro styles with new
ideas that cannot be properly articulated. Although Schimmel is an amazing
guitarist and he proves it beyond any doubt on this record, there is a
balance of spotlight and the list of insanely diverse instrumental elements
all put to well-crafted use is staggering: pianos, Fender Rhodes, cello,
bazooki, various brass, violin, organs, clavinet, vibes, accordian, banjo,
exotic percussion, and much more drifting over powerful rhythm sections that
morph from one mood to the next with seemingly no effort whatsoever. This
should be a highly sought-after document for those interested in
investigating the frontier of modern popular instrumental ensemble music,
and an absolute must for any Estradasphere fan.